Israeli soldiers arrested for rape of female colleague

Two Israeli military soldiers held under suspicions of raping a female soldier, had their arrests extended on Tuesday, according to local reports.

The unidentified suspects, who both served in the elite unit of Shayetet 13 along with their victim, were arrested last week after the female soldier complained to the military Criminal Investigation Division.

The two soldiers allegedly raped the female in a military vehicle, the victim said, however the pair deny charges of rape, stating the victim had willingly participated in the acts.

Corruption is widespread among Israel's military however the controversial state regularly falls short of punishing soldiers accused of crimes.

In February, an Israeli military court sentenced a soldier to just 18 months in prison for shooting dead a Palestinian man who lay injured on the floor.

Judge Maya Heller handed down the sentence a month after Elor Azaria, 21, was found guilty of manslaughter for killing Abdul Fatah al-Sharif as he lay on the ground in the southern occupied West Bank in March last year.

Prosecutors had demanded a three to five year sentence but the panel of three judges decided such a punishment would be too severe despite the soldier failing to show remorse for the murder.